Humperdinck, Engelbert
Humperdinck, Engelbert (b Siegburg, 1854; d Neustrelitz, 1921). Ger. composer. Met Wagner in It. 1879 and was invited to assist in preparation for prod. of Parsifal at Bayreuth. Taught theory, Barcelona Cons., 1885–6, Cologne Cons. 1887–8. Teacher of harmony, Hoch Cons., Frankfurt, 1890–7 (prof. from 1896), also acting as mus. critic for Frankfurter Zeitung. His opera Hänsel und Gretel, which effectively uses a Wagnerian idiom for a fairytale, was a success at Weimar, 1893 (where R. Strauss cond. f.p.), and subsequently elsewhere ever since. His other operas failed to emulate its success, although Königskinder (f.p. NY Met 1910) has had several modern revivals. Dir., Berlin Akademische Meisterschule for comp. 1900–20. Prin. works:OPERAS: Hänsel und Gretel (1893); Dornröschen (1902); Die Heirat wider Willen (1905); Königskinder (1908–10); Die Marketenderin (1914); Gaudeamus (1919).ORCH.: Humoreske (1879); Ov., Der Zug des Dionysos (1880); Die maurische Rhapsodie (1898).CHAMBER MUSIC: str. qts.: No.1 in E minor (1873), No.2 (1876), No.3 (1920); Notturno, vn., pf.INCID. MUSIC: Königskinder (1895–7, later rev. as opera, 1908–10); The Merchant of Venice (1905); The Winter's Tale (1906); The Tempest (1906); Romeo and Juliet (1907); As You Like it (1907); Lysistrata (1908); The Miracle (1911); The Blue Bird (1912).Also many songs.
More From encyclopedia.com
NEARBY TERMS
Humperdinck, Engelbert